Andy Burnham Asks for Parliament Record Correction on Widdecombe Remarks

Andy Burnham has requested that Parliament's official record be amended after stating during Prime Minister's Questions that an "individual" was "responsible for the murder" of Ann Widdecombe. The remarks prompted calls for the Prime Minister to apologize, with a senior Conservative arguing they violated the "presumption of innocence" in legal proceedings.

A man was charged in July with the murder of the 78-year-old Widdecombe, a former Conservative minister and Reform spokeswoman. He is scheduled to stand trial next year, and a plea and case management hearing is set for January 29. Earlier in October, the same man was also charged with preparing acts of terror, including against Reform UK leader Nigel Farage.

Jesse Norman, Conservative shadow Commons leader, stated that Burnham's comments breached Parliament's sub judice rule, which advises MPs against discussing pending court cases to avoid influencing their outcomes. Norman also asserted that the Prime Minister's statements at Prime Minister's Questions had "breached the legal presumption of innocence."

Norman urged Commons leader Sir Alan Campbell to "correct the record, withdraw the remark and apologize on behalf of the prime minister." In response, Sir Alan confirmed that the Prime Minister "said that he misspoke, he has apologized and he has corrected the record." He added that while there is no excuse for misspeaking in the House, "this prime minister is characterised by an authenticity and a passion in the way that he responds." He noted that it is not unusual for individuals to misspeak in Parliament, and that as long as the record is corrected, it should be viewed in perspective.

A No 10 spokeswoman confirmed that a correction had been issued to Hansard, the official report of parliamentary debates, and would be published in due course.